Fashion store expands in mall

I was checking out a rumor that a clothing store was closing (apparently not true), but I discovered that locally owned women's fashion accessory store Zida is expanding. They are moving into a portion of the former Gap Outlet (the Kids' gap side) and should be open by the time you read this.

The other portion of the Gap Outlet store will be taken over by longtime mall tenant Rick's Collectibles, according to Linda West of the Mall of Abilene.

There's a new occupant of one of the mall's kiosks. It's Express Whitening, a cosmetic teeth whitening firm.

Village Boutique has opened an outlet store, just a few doors down in Chimney Plaza Shopping Center on South 27th Street.

Owner Yanell Rieder tells me that the new store features shoes and apparel at half-off prices and a weekly special with 75 percent discounts. New merchandise is added weekly.

Village Outlet is open Thursday and Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cassandra's and Co., 173 Pine St., is going out of business.

Owner Teresa Johnston told me Friday that the demands of a one-person fashions and gift shop business and the desire to spend more time at home contributed to her decision to close the five-year-old business.

The store opened on North Judge Ely Boulevard and moved downtown two years ago.

"I love my customers and will truly miss them," she said.

During the going-out-of-business sale, the store will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. "until everything is sold," she said.

Dale and Stacy Scaief plan to open the coffee shop in early October. It's located at 1638 Highway 351 in the strip center in front of Wal-Mart.

Dale, employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, and Stacy, who works at Dr. J Express Care, said the cafe is really a mission. They spent two years as missionaries in Brazil at the Embu-Guacu orphanage. All the profits from the coffee shop will go to that youth facility.

Brew.net will be open from early in the morning to late in the evening, Stacy said. The early morning crowd is expected to be a worker clientele, and the late-evening customers probably will be university students.

The Scaiefs plan to have an informal Bible study one night a week and a movie night.